2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Manual

Let’s get this out of the way up front: The litany of breakdowns suffered by our long-term 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 (C7) was simply appalling. Yes, we know a car is a machine made up of thousands of components, and that despite massive leaps in technology and manufacturing that make cars far more reliable today than they were just a couple of product cycles ago, things can and do go wrong. But sheesh.

Things were fine at first, starting with our coupe’s base price of $51,995, which is nearly 30 grand less than the base price of another popular way to go fast, the Porsche 911. Among the C7’s standard features are its rigid aluminum space frame and lightweight Batman bodywork that always grabs attention, even in our test car’s reserved Blade Silver Metallic. Contrasting black wheels ($495) and “carbon flash” exterior accents ($100) surely helped. The suspension still uses composite (fiberglass) transverse leaf springs, but the Stingray is ­altogether more high-tech and engaging to operate than before.

The C7’s interior is vastly improved from the C6’s. Nicely equipped to start, our test car also included the mid-level 2LT equipment group ($4210), which added heated and ventilated seats, a color head-up display, and other luxuries. We also opted for carbon-fiber interior trim ($995) and Chevy’s MyLink navigation ($795). The “Car and Driver” identification plaque on the console ($200) flattered our already-inflated egos. As tested, including other options to be cited shortly, the car’s price was $66,575. Little did we know how special it really was.

Our Stingray’s problems started innocently enough when—at 850 miles—the eight-inch center touch screen began malfunctioning because of contact with the surrounding trim panel. Adjusting the trim piece was a simple warranty fix, but other problems followed.

Top left: During its 17 months in our care, the Stingray was powered by 16 cylinders. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.

GM’s new aluminum-block, 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 is the heart of the C7, and most of the time it thundered to life and roared like a NASCAR stocker as we worked the standard seven-speed manual transaxle. Our optional variable performance exhaust ($1195) gave it a motorboat yowl. Rated at 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, the big LT1 smoothly chugged away from idle and yanked itself up to its 6600-rpm redline.

The latest small-block is clever, too, with direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation. Assisted by the Stingray’s slick profile and tall g­earing, we averaged 21 mpg overall and regularly ­traveled more than 30 highway miles on a ­gallon of premium, making the Corvette an adept road-trip companion. It was comfortably long-legged on ventures to New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. After its recommended break-in period, our 3436-pound test car was properly quick, reaching 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and covering the quarter in 12.2 seconds at 118 mph.

But the dry-sump oiling system included with the $2800 Z51 package could not prevent the engine from self-destructing. It grenaded at 6000 miles, when we rolled onto a local chassis dynamometer to meas­ure the LT1’s power at the pavement. The engine started to eat itself before we could begin the testing in earnest. Fearing the V-8 was in the early stages of seizure, we shut it down and ordered a flatbed for transport to our dealership.

It took the dealer two weeks to replace the engine under warranty, and GM engineers provided a full tear-down and analysis of the mishap. A connecting-rod bearing had failed, sending debris through the LT1’s belly and chewing up more internals. In related news, GM acknowledged that the engine manufacturing plant had experienced some difficulty ridding the inside of the block of machining burrs. As luck would have it, its oil-filter manufacturer had a similar problem; some filters had a thread shard that could come loose and contaminate the lubrication system. The only good part of this story is that our engine was replaced at no charge.

Acceleration figures were about the same with the second engine when we returned to the track at the end of the test. Yet, technical editor K.C. Colwell noted that the car would’ve likely been quicker than new if the shifter wasn’t “tighter than any other C7 I’ve driven.” Other drivers agreed, chiding the seven-speed for its chunky engagement, propensity to pop out of lower gears, and the difficulty in navigating the tightly spaced gates. At 38,000 miles, we had the dealer adjust the shifter’s linkage in accordance with a service bulletin, but that made little difference.

The Stingray’s bad luck piled on with the miles. Fixing a windshield stone chip wasn’t a big deal at $50, but the glass subsequently cracked, costing us $937 for a replacement. We also had to shell out $854 for new rear Michelins at 13,000 miles because of a puncture, and wearing out the fronts in 31,000 miles drained the coffers of another $714.

The C7’s seats are a huge improvement over the C6’s, which provided little lateral support and rocked back unsettlingly. But our car’s $1995 Competition Sport thrones left us of two minds. While some drivers found them supremely comfortable for long treks, others called them overkill and found the short bottom cushion unsupportive. Their elevated hip points also gave the awkward feeling of sitting on a phone book and adversely affected the driving position. And then the passenger’s seat-mounted side airbag needed to be swapped out at 15,000 miles because of a defect prompting a recall. The car was returned to us with an unraveling driver’s seatback cover, which would ultimately need to be replaced, too.

Although we had fitted excellent Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 winter tires, the Corvettestruggled in the deep freeze of our Michigan winter. In sub-zero temps, the LT1 V-8 could take up to 12 seconds of cranking before firing, which surely contributed to the starter motor dying at 21,000 miles. Shortly thereafter, the brain of the Stingray’s heating-and-air-conditioning system began shutting down intermittently—in mid-January—and needed to be swapped. We donned parkas and limped the car along while the dealer ordered a new control unit, but this issue still took nearly three weeks to resolve.

We still appreciate the C7 Stingray's brilliant-cut faceted styling, and we don't miss round taillights one little bit, actually.

The C7’s axle seals began leaking lubricant at 25,000 miles. Frigid winter weather probably aggravated this failure. GM was in the process of installing more-durable seals in production, and the improved parts supplied to our dealer cured the issue. But it’s worth mentioning that neither our long-term 2014 Jaguar F-type V-8 S nor our 2014 Porsche Cayman S, which both suffered through the same awful winter, had any problems dealing with the cold.

Throughout the frigid months, the Corvette was the car to avoid. The heated seats only got lukewarm, and the already-finicky shifter felt like it was stirring a bag of cement until the drivetrain warmed up. We also were tiring of the cacophony of road and tire noise that suffused the cabin, exacerbated by winter tires. The C7’s aggressive steering geometry also meant that the front tires would annoyingly scrub in tight parking maneuvers, a tradeoff for the car’s impressive handling.

The Stingray’s final 15,000 miles were mostly trouble-free once the weather warmed. Although several drivers noted that they would’ve probably traded in the Corvette by now were it their personal car, we went back to enjoying the rest of the Z51’s performance hardware: sportier suspension settings, an electronic limited-slip differential, shorter transmission gearing, larger slotted brake rotors, transmission and differential coolers, and 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels with run-flat Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (245/35s in front and 285/30s at the rear).

The optional Magnetic Ride Control dampers with GM’s Performance Traction Management ($1795) further aided the chassis’ balance and grip with little apparent harm to the C7’s ride quality. Both systems are integrated into the console’s Drive Mode Selector dial, which can tune the car’s various systems from relaxed to race via five settings (snow/rain, eco, tour, sport, and track). The flexibility allowed the Stingray to be as poised in a fast sweeper as it was trundling down the highway. We all agreed the electric power steering had great feel and response, and the V-8’s soundtrack never grew old.

Bottom left: Somehow we managed to not pry off this badge before we returned the car. Bottom right: Targa-top stowage, done simply.

Our initial trip to the test track yielded a stellar 137-foot stop from 70 mph, as well as 1.03 g’s of stick on the skidpad. The Stingray’s braking performance was the same at 40,000 miles as it was when new, yet there was less understeer, and lateral grip increased to a neck-straining 1.07 g’s. Test-driver Colwell suspected a slight change in alignment as the cause, simply saying, “As it sits now, the car is hooked up.”

Compared with the warranty work, the Corvette’s scheduled maintenance every 7500 miles was straightforward. Our five visits cost $661 total, and included oil and filter changes, inspections, and replacing a few normal-wear items. The 30,000-mile service was the largest, at $255, but also included a clutch-fluid change. Although we had to pay for the first three oil and filter changes ($228) because our car was a GM test vehicle, actual owners would get those services for free under the Stingray’s included oil changes for the first two years or 24,000 miles. To maintain a cordial relationship with our dealer, we resisted the urge to demand a refund.

We’ve experienced little if any trouble with the later Stingrays we’ve driven and want to think of our test car as a first-year anomaly. The latest Corvette is an amazing performance bargain, and it still pained us to hand back the keys. But the reality is that this Stingray failed spectacularly, and its 17-month evaluation was a test of our patience as much as it was of the car itself. We can forgive some of its troubles because the C7 is the type of machine we’re happy to still have in our over-regulated and increasingly automated world. But we won’t forget this experience anytime soon.

Rants and Raves

Jennifer Harrington: This car is such a sweetheart, and its fuel economy still amazes me. And removing the top and putting it back on is an easy, one-person job.

Ron Sessions: There’s still some work to do on the shifter, which has all the finesse of a Lincoln Log in a burlap sack.

Carolyn Pavia-Rauchman: I feel as if I could drive this car for hours and hours.

Aaron Robinson: This car needs seven speeds like it needs square wheels.

Alexander Stoklosa: I love the way the whole car subtly rocks to the small-block’s lumpy idle. On the flip side, driving this car makes me feel like a 50-something divorcé.

Jeff Sabatini: Count me as one who thinks that the replacement engine has not married to the clutch and transmission as seamlessly as the original.

Don Sherman: My vote for America’s best car. A highly engaging commuter. This is a ride I’d actually stoop to buying.

Jared Gall: I absolutely love this car, but I would never recommend anyone buy one. The only safe course of action is to convince GM to loan you one until it breaks.

Erik Johnson: It still amazes me how easy this thing is to live with in day-to-day traffic.

Juli Burke: Exhilarating having all the passing power I needed, but I grew weary of the noisy, rough ride.